[Januaryfirst] call out

[Alex Hemingway]

Thanks all for picking this up - and to Aaron for writing the whole thing
in August, which I only tweaked at the top.
On 2013-10-22 2:51 PM, "Karin Johnson" <kbojinjohnson at gmail.com> wrote:

> Awesome, thanks Alex and Dave!
>
> I've cut it down a bit more in the version below, hope I haven't taken out
> too much. Although, I think it may still be a bit lengthy for the event
> call out. I think a longer version would be great to include in the
> Facebook page though to provide more background information.
>
> See you Wednesday.
>
> Karin
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> WHY TALK ABOUT TRADE?
>
> In a globalized world, international agreements set the stage for how
> governments manage resources, invest in infrastructure and social services,
> facilitate the growth of industries, and regulate our lives. We are told
> that Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), which guarantee the global flow of
> capital and resources, are necessary for our well-being, necessary for our
> society to keep getting better.
>
>
> However, these agreements have been constructed to reinforce and expand
> the policies of colonialism that originally established the rights of
> corporations. FTAs fuse together capital and state interests in an effort
> to dismantle barriers to capital flow and this has resulted in destruction
> and dehumanization within nations and communities across the globe. From
> the privatization of resources, to the constant search for lower wages, to
> the abdication of the state to look after its own citizenry, FTAs further
> the dispossession of Indigenous people and undermine collective efforts to
> expand the commons.
>
>
> Yet communities are resisting, and amazing work is being done. Low-income
> folks are standing strong against gentrification and demanding social
> housing. Migrant justice organizers and workers are meeting and building
> connections to challenge bosses and the government. Indigenous communities
> are uniting and engaging in direct action to stop pipeline and tar sands
> development.
>
>
> FTAs provide us the opportunity for discussion because their scope
> encompasses all of our struggles. If we can strengthen our connections they
> become harder to break and more formidable when we fight back.
>
>
>
> On Tue, Oct 22, 2013 at 11:16 AM, Dave Diewert <ddiewertt at shaw.ca> wrote:
>
>> Thanks, Alex, for putting out the draft call out. I did some editing on
>> the main text, trying to shorten it a little. Since it's still a draft, it
>> would be good if others could add to the discussion and contribute to the
>> shaping of it.
>>
>> see you on wednesday night at Rhizome ... dave
>>
>> WHY TALK ABOUT TRADE?****
>>
>> In a globalized world, international agreements set the stage for how
>> governments manage resources, invest in infrastructure and social services,
>> facilitate the growth of industries, and regulate our lives. These
>> agreements have been constructed to both reinforce and expand the policies
>> of colonialism that originally established the rights of corporations. **
>> **
>>
>> Most people assume that governments represent "the will of the people"
>> and, as such, look out for our best interest. We are told by our own
>> governments that Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), which guarantee the global
>> flow of capital and resources, are necessary for our well-being, necessary
>> for our society to keep getting better. ****
>>
>> However, the primary objective of FTAs it to fuse together capital and
>> state interests in an effort to dismantle barriers to capital flow.
>> Historically, this has resulted in destruction and dehumanization within
>> nations and communities across the globe. From the privatization of
>> resources, to the constant search for lower wages, to the abdication of the
>> state to look after its own citizenry, FTAs further the dispossession of
>> Indigenous people and undermine collective efforts to expand the commons.
>> ****
>>
>> The ideological trick of appealing to "freedom" to justify austerity and
>> security masks the exceedingly tight grip already formed by the state.
>> Using buzzwords like “participation” or “flexibility” ostensibly builds a
>> shared vocabulary for common usage while simultaneously dissolving their
>> meaning. FTAs legally inscribe and politically normalize "corporate rights"
>> and so enhance capital's power to limit popular imagination about
>> alternative ways to see the world.****
>>
>> Yet communities are resisting, and some amazing work is being done.
>> Low-income folks are standing strong against gentrification and demanding
>> social housing. Migrant justice organizers and workers are meeting and
>> building connections to challenge bosses and the government. Indigenous
>> communities are uniting and engaging in direct action to stop pipeline and
>> tar sands development. ****
>> FTAs provide us the opportunity for discussion because their scope
>> encompasses all of our struggles. If we can strengthen our connections they
>> become harder to break and more formidable when we fight back.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Januaryfirst mailing list
>> Januaryfirst at lists.resist.ca
>> https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/januaryfirst
>>
>>
>
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>
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